Public schools touch the life of every rural citizen. We need these strong schools for our children and the future. When our children thrive, entire communities thrive.
On Wednesday at 7 p.m., the Northwest Ohio Educational Service Center (NWOESC), 205 Nolan Parkway, Archbold, will host “Funding the Future: Our School, Our Community.”
Education experts will address critical funding decisions that affect our schools.
The Fair School Funding Plan (FSFP) bipartisan legislation passed in 2021 remedied decades of unconstitutional funding to build a “common system of schools.” Its formula uses the cost of educating a single student as its base and addresses rural community needs to calculate the state’s contribution. The remainder (minus ~6% in federal funds), comes from local taxpayers.
The Ohio House budget (Sub. House Bill 96) reneges on the six-year implementation required by the FSFP and cuts funds necessary for a fiscally sustainable future. It disregards the FSFP formula in exchange for an arbitrary amount of state funds.
Since the FSFP formula was first adopted in 2022, the cost to educate has not been adjusted to match the increased cost of living. Local communities would face a lose-lose proposition: levy taxpayers or allow schools to suffer. Consider the fund disparity for the FSFP vs. the HB 96 over the next two years (dollars approximately).
Defiance City Schools will lose over $9 million. Northeastern Local, $119,000; Ayersville, $2.2 million; Hicksville, $3.8 million. Find your school here: https://www.honestyforohioeducation.org/school-funding.html.
Meanwhile, taxpayer dollars would fund $500 million in private school vouchers versus $220 million for public schools. In 2023-24, Ohio distributed 69,000 vouchers and 65,000 went to private school families. Alleged “school choice” only gives choices to private schools, such as who/what they teach and if/how they test. They can deny students with disabilities, behavioral records and deny special education services.
This budget unethically places our most vulnerable students in the most underfunded schools. Furthermore, private schools are highly concentrated in metropolitan areas, not rural Ohio. Our five-county area has 10 voucher schools vs. 26 public schools!
Can our local communities reconcile the funding cuts? No, nor should we have to.
HB 96 would result in larger class sizes, overburdened teachers, limited extracurriculars and insufficient technology, curriculum and opportunities for learning. Our kids deserve better!
Join us Wednesday to strengthen our collective voice. Let’s advocate for public schools and our children’s right to a free and fair education.
Sonya Mavis
Farmer
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